1. The Wright Brothers, Flight Test and NASA A Centennial of Flight Story 1903 - 2003

2. The Wright Brothers Orville and Wilbur Dayton, Ohio Wright Cycle Company Brain synchronicity Systematic in their experimental approach

3. The Wright Brothers Read the research Talked with colleagues Determined problems to be solved Delineated a process for solving problems safely

4. The Wright Brothers Problems to be solved –Balance during flight: a way to safely control the airplane’s motion –An engine to move it through the air –Wings needed to lift an airplane into the air

5. The Wright Brothers Problem –Balance during flight: a way to safely control the airplane’s motion

6. The Wright Brothers Balance Solutions –Horizontal rudder –Wingwarping –Hip cradle

7. The Wright Brothers Problem –An engine to move it through the air Lightweight Minimal vibration Powerful enough to turn the propellers

8. The Wright Brothers Engine Solutions –Small, powerful, gas engine –Powered 2 propellers

9. The Wright Brothers Problem –Wings needed to lift airplane into the air Determine the length- to-width ratio Proper amount of camber Most efficient angle of attack The center of pressure

10. The Wright Brothers Wing Solutions –Throw out previous tables and theories –Devise a better method of testing wings –Use new test results to design a better wing

11. Wright Brothers The Wright Brothers’ Results –A set of highly accurate tables that predicted in advance the performance of an aircraft’s wings –Changes in their aircraft design Biggest glider yet Longer wings Narrower wings Tail section

12. Flight Test What is Flight Test?

13. Flight Test Early Flight Test Pilots –Tower Jumpers Oliver of Malmesbury Giovanni Dante Marquis de Bocqueville

14. Flight Test Flight Test Pilots who were Contemporaries of the Wright Brothers –Cayley –Otto Lilienthal –Octave Chanute and his young test pilots

15. Flight Test Flight Test Pilots who were Contemporaries of the Wright Brothers –Lawrence Hargrave –Percy Pilcher –Professor John

16. Flight Test Wright Brothers as Flight Test Pilots –Early tests used kite models –Performed in Dayton, Ohio

17. Flight Test Wright Brothers as Flight Test Pilots –Birds helped flight test –Gave idea for “wing-warping” –Tested first on bi-winged kite

18. Flight Test Wright Brothers as Flight Test Pilots –Needed location for piloted flight tests –Researched for best place –US National Weather Service –Outer Banks of North Carolina

19. Flight Test Wright Brothers as Flight Test Pilots –1901 - 1902 –Tested gliders First flown pilotless (like kites) Then piloted

20. Flight Test Wright Brothers as Flight Test Pilots –1903 –Flight testing power-driven aircraft –Ran ground tests on engine first –Made changes based upon ground tests –Then successfully flight tested

21. Flight Test Later Flight Test Pilots –Hanna Reitsch –Charles Lindberg

22. Flight Test Flight Test progresses

23. Flight Test NACA National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

24. Flight Test NACA grows Wind tunnel complex built at Ames Tunnels get larger Airspeeds get faster Testing becomes more specialized

25. Flight Test Muroc Early flight tests –Chalmers Goodlin –Chuck Yeager

26. NASA NACA evolves into NASA

27. NASA Ames Research Center Early Flight Test –Wind Tunnels –Kuiper –XV-15 Present testing –Rotorcraft –Computer simulations

28. NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Early Flight Test –Scott Crossfield –X-15 –Lunar Landing Research Vehicle Present testing –ERAST –Hyper-X

29. NASA Flight Test in the Future